Prep Focus: Walkers, York Basketball: A Long Love Affair

YORK — The idea of raising eight productive children seems ludicrous, if not impossible, in today's complex world. But it can be done.

The proof comes from Joyce and Raymond R. Walker, the matriarch and patriarch of York High School basketball's first family.

From the late 1970s to the present, all eight Walker siblings have played varsity basketball for York. Four of them, including current York River District scoring leader Shawn Walker, have surpassed the 1,000-point barrier.

"Especially when there are so many children today wanting to run away, ours are grown and wanting to come back home," Joyce said. "We just thank the Lord we have eight healthy, talented children. We always taught them to respect themselves and treat people the way they want to be treated."

The children are thankful, too.

"We might not have had what we wanted, but we always had what we needed," said Calvin Walker, 27, one of five sons in the family. "We were always clothed, warm and fed. They were the best parents you could ever have."

Their trophies fill up two shelves in the family's living room.

"Having that many good athletes in one family was just unreal," said Bob Shamblin, who has coached the Falcons' varsity boys' team for 20 years and once directed the girls' squad for five years. "Almost all of them are really polite, really quiet kids. Their mom and dad ought to be given a medal."

Shawn, 19, a 6-foot guard with a knack for outside shooting and penetrating moves, has become the family's top scorer. He has 1,424 career points and will break 1981 York graduate Craig Helms' school record of 1,459 points easily by maintaining his current 25.5 points-per-game pace.

Raymond A. Walker, 23, who finished his York basketball career in 1985, is next on the Falcons' career scoring list at 1,329.

The eldest siblings, Keith Walker, 29, and Terri Walker Savage, 28, both graduated from York in 1980. Terri was the first athlete at the school to reach 1,000 points and finished with 1,083.

Raymond A., who now serves in the United States Air Force in Belgium, and Terri, who lives with her U.S. Army husband in Germany, are the only two children who don't live in Virginia.

Keith is assistant manager at Siegel's Supermarket in Richmond, while Candace Williams, 20, and Michelle Morris, 26, are housewives living in the Denbigh section of Newport News. Candace scored 1,200 points in her Falcons' career.

Shawn and 5-8 guard Courtland "Coco" Walker, 17, will graduate from York this spring, leaving Shamblin in an unfamiliar position - without a Walker on the roster. But the veteran Falcons' coach said that Shawn and Coco have been the only Walkers to play for one team at the same time.

"I've coached all of them except for Candace, and they have a lot of things that you just can't coach," Shamblin said.

Joyce and Raymond R., both age 47 and lifelong Peninsula residents who have lived in a modest Yorktown house since 1974, became used to a flurry of household activity as their kids matured. One phone and two bathrooms were in frequent demand.

"Fortunately, everybody (went to school) at different times," Joyce said. "The boys didn't get to courtin' until later; they were kind of slow bloomers."

Raymond R. is a driver for Commonwealth Propane Inc. of Gloucester, and Joyce drives school buses for James City County.

"It takes a lot of energy doing housework and chores," Joyce said, "but you have to let them know that you're there for them. Some of the neighbors' kids would say how understanding we are."

Shawn and Coco live at home, but the older children frequently visit along with their friends and/or spouses.

"We can put it this way - we're never lonely," father Raymond said. "Being in sports has helped keep them out of trouble."

"They've been great kids," Joyce said. "I'm proud to be their mom. On holidays and Saturdays and Sundays, everybody comes out in the backyard for ping-pong, especially in the summertime. Even mom and dad would get out awhile."

Despite obvious temptations, the parents said they never tried to compare the siblings with each other.

"It's always everybody else that does the comparing," Shawn said. "After the first one, everybody expects more. But we don't think we can be compared. We try to do our own thing, achieve our goals."

Surprisingly for such a basketball-oriented family, no backboard and net are at home.

"We used to have one out back, but it's been a while," Raymond R. said.

But Calvin said official and unofficial basketball practices at York and Fort Eustis became spirited with sibling rivalry. In summer pickup games, the three sisters frequently would play against boys.

"There was a lot of competition. It made for a lot of rough battles in practice. They'd get cursed out from the coach, then come home and get cursed out again," Calvin said.

Said Shawn: "From when we were smaller, (the older brothers) were the big kids and we were the little kids, and we couldn't play with them. That helped us get better."